The Lion or The snake
by Future Writer Girl
Summary: AU Lily has been torn for years between the two people she cares about the most- James and Severus- but when fate decides she must choose, it will come down to who has been there, who loves her, and who is acepting. So who is it, The Lion or the snake?


**JamesXLilyXSeverus**

**The lion or the snake**

Lily was with her long time best friend, Severus Snape. They were currently writing in their potions that they shared. The two were scrawling out ways to better make the draught of the living death, when Lily's Muggle alarm wristwatch went off.

"Oh shit, Sev I have to get going" Lily spoke as she got her stuff together hurriedly, Severus' face fell.

"Why?" He asked.

"I have to meet James" Lily spoke without thinking, then cringed when the words came out of her mouth.

"You have to meet Potter!" Severus spoke angrily, trying to contain his temper.

"Yeah, Head stuff!" lily lied smoothly "Bye Sev" Lily spoke quickly running out of the room leaving poor Severus standing there with his mouth ajar. Lily had been doing this for a few weeks to Severus, Making plans only to have to leave long before necessary. Today Severus decided to follow her, to figure out why Lily kept leaving him.

Lily-and Severus- arrived at the giant oak tree several minutes later, to a smiling James Potter.

"Hey, sorry I'm late" Lily said

"No problem" James spoke smiling at her. Lily sat down very close to James, Pulling out a small folder.

"Hey, did you hear that moaning myrtle actually left her bathroom the other day?" James smiled, while Lily laughed.

"What? That's crazy! Why'd she do that?" Lily asked, her folder was abandoned beside her while she shuffled closer to James.

"She thought this first year looked like someone called Olive Hornby and haunted her all day" Lily covered her mouth with her hand in horror.

"Oh my gosh, that poor little girl! Is she okay?" Lily asked.

"Oh yeah, just a bit shaken, Professor Dumbledore had to talk to myrtle, though" Lily tried to contain her laughter, James smiled brightly. Severus decided it was time to make himself known and jumped out of the bushes.

"I thought you said you were doing head stuff!" Severus exclaimed to lily, whose eyes were as wide as sausages and flickering between Severus and James.

"No, we did head stuff last night" James spoke stepping in Severus' line of vision of Lily "Lily kindly agreed to help me with my history of magic homework" James' 6'1 frame seemed to tower over Severus at 5'9. People were gathering around the three, Lily was still looking like her worst nightmare had come true.

"Funny because yesterday Lily and I hung out and today we worked on Potions" Severus spoke coldly, the two looked at Lily and she smiled innocently.

"I can explain everything?" Lily said in more of a question, James raised a brow, Lily exhaled

"Well, I Have been hanging out with both of you every day!" Lily spoke, the now large audience gasped, the two both looked devastated.

"Why didn't you just tell us Lily, I'm sure we would have worked something out?" James asked, looking into the green orbs that he had fallen in love with.

"I didn't want to hurt either of you! You're both such horrible enemies, I didn't want to stir the pot again!" Lily started looking between them.

"Pick" Severus said, as if it was the easiest choice in the world

"What?" lily asked.

"Pick me, or Potter" Severus spoke, James seemed reluctant but nodded.

"Okay" Lily agreed the two boys nodded her on "But… Tomorrow, Exact time and place okay! I promise" Lily said running off in the other direction.

"May the best man win" James put out his hand for Severus to shake.

"She hates you, she'll never pick you" Severus told James stalking off to be with his Slytherin friends. Lily Ran to her room to find Alice, and Marlene already there.

"What am I going to do?" Lily sighed as she flopped down on her bed, Alice and Marlene exchanged glances.

"Well…" Alice cringed.

"Don't tell me to follow my heart!" Lily said throwing a pillow over her face "Or my kidney, or spleen or any other vital organ!" She added as her two friends stayed silent.

"Lils, what do you want us to say?" Marlene asked, Walking over and sitting next to Lily. The red head sighed sitting up.

"I want you to tell me that no matter who I choose that the other will still talk to me" Lily told Marlene who was looking at her motherly.

"Lil, you know I can't tell you that" Marlene said, looking at the almost crying red-head.

"But, Try to imagine your life without one of them, how would that feel" Alice added coming over, slinging an arm over her shoulders.

'I just don't want to have to choose between my friendship with Sev and my…I don't know what with James!" Lily said looking between the two exasperatedly.

"Lily..." Marlene trailed off.

"Just give me some time to think please" Lily said tiredly, Alice and Marlene just nodded; she laid her head on her pillow and thought about the most difficult decision of her life.

The next day James and Severus stood 16 feet away from each other, beside James was Sirius and behind Severus was Regulus. The four were glaring at each other, a giant crowd of practically the entire school. Lily came in with her hair curled and a green off the shoulder t-shirt, skinny jeans, and runners. Lily stood in the middle of the two boys.

"This was a very hard decision, you both mean a lot to me" Lily started looking between the two boys.

"Sev, we have shared a lot together, you told me I was a witch, and you were there when Petunia wasn't" Lily told him, Severus cracked a small half smile "But, you are into dark magic, and the things some of your friends do, are cruel and evil" Severus' smile broke and went into an upset frown.

"and James, With your I'm not afraid to take risks, and your stubborn- in a good way- and funny, AND lately you have been very sweet" Lily smiled at him, James blushed and winked at her "But your arrogant, and your pranks are sometimes health-threatening, and not all funny, not to mention your constant provoking me to go out with you!" Lily exclaimed James nodded solemnly.

"Like I said this decision was SO difficult because of how different you two are" Lily looked between the both of them "it was a choice between The Gryffindor Quidditch star, and the Quiet Slytherin potions bug. Between a prankster, and the prefect. It was a choice between an idiot and a smart guy!" Lily went on, gesturing with her hands.

"It was so difficult; I just shut down and thought '_what would my life be like without one of them' _"Lily said looking between both men.

"When I thought life without Severus, I had no one to talk intelligently with, no giggling about our inside jokes, no more working on that damn potions book" Lily finished looking sad, Severus cracked another smile.

"And James without you, Life was really boring! I couldn't just talk to you anymore, or the other guys, we couldn't laugh or joke about the craziest shit" Lily smiled laughing a bit, James smiled back.

"So before I make my decision, James" Lily turned to him "What the hell are we?" she asked exasperatedly.

"Humans" James' face stayed straight.

"Be Serious, James" Lily told the boy who cracked a grin.

"You want me to be Sirius? But he's right here" James said pointing to his best mate, who smiled giggled and waved.

"James" She warned gigging along.

"Well" James contemplated, running a hand through his already sex-tousled hair; some girls off in the corner sighed dreamily.

"Pick Severus! I'll take James!" someone yelled from the crowd, James' eyes didn't draw from Lily's.

"Lily, I'm whatever you want me to be, If for right now you just want a friend from me, even if you pick him and want nothing to with me, I'll be alright with" James told her, Lily smiled a bit "But I'll always be waiting in the sidelines to be your knight in shining armour" He added on, several girls in the side lines sighed. Lily found herself trapped in their own little world; their eyes didn't part until Regulus cleared his throat.

"O-Okay then…" Lily trailed off, she still hadn't a clue who she was choosing, She looked at Severus and saw her best friend. She looked over to James, She saw the same arrogant and big headed boy as always. But when she looked a few layers deeper, she saw the hear-wrenching pain in his eyes, but there was also acceptance in her choice, regret for the things he could have done better, and dare she say it… Love? Was James Potter actually in love with her, plain-Jane Lily?

She looked between the two again, Sighed and walked a few steps towards Severus- the crowd gasps, and some people hand over there money to the bet they lost- Severus was smiling, she looked back towards James, He smiled and did an encouraging nod towards Severus.

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Lily whispered under her breath, she turned around and walked over to James. He smiled at her, pulling her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Lily smiled from ear to ear at James who grinned back whole-heartedly; Lily looked to Severus who was looking at her longingly.

"I'm sorry" Lily said to Severus, Hugging James' waist James then pulled his arms around her, Lily Looked up at him. Severus made his way up to the castle, kicking dirk and rocks the whole way up. The crowd seemed to have left; it was just Lily and James now.

"So… what's your choice? What are we?" James asked Lily smiled for a moment, taking James' tie and yanking his head down to her 5'6 and kissing him, James' mouth moved along with hers, like they had been practicing for years. They pulled apart; James was trying to contain his glee.

"Your my choice" Lily spoke softly, James placed his chin on lily's head, All was well.

**I hoped you all liked it, REVIEW! And I have about 4 other James&Lily&Severus one-shots, and one Lily/James/Marauders/Harry so if you liked it try out…**

**I'm your tramp stamp- An odd story of how lily and James came to be. **

**His glasses, about James trying to get Lily to like him.**

**Giving in, Lily finally gives in to James… But not in the usual way. **

**Just a kiss, How Lily and James became engaged, from Severus' POV, & **

**Oh, Baby Harry, a bunch of adorable one-shots of Little Harry and who babysits him (About Harry but contains Lily, James and Marauders) **


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